From KCRG-TV9:
IOWA CITY, Iowa – A fire at an Iowa City mobile home park caused an estimated, combined $60,000 in damage to two units on Wednesday. Firefighters responded to the fire at 2128 South Riverside Drive at 6:16 p.m. At the scene, crews found a large fire in one of the units. Officials said the occupants were able to exit safely. The fire had also spread to another, nearby, unoccupied unit. Officials say two pets remain unaccounted for. One firefighter was injured, but was treated and released at the scene. No other injuries were reported. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
From the Associated Press (11:20 a.m.):
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa-based grocery chain Hy-Vee says it will ask up to 500 of its employees to move from corporate-level jobs to retail positions at its stores. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the move comes after the company already eliminated 121 corporate-level positions in March. The company says 102 of those employees were offered retail positions. In addition to shifting employees’ jobs, the company said it will be pausing several projects, including a new warehouse in Cumming, Iowa. The company blamed, among other things, rising inflation, increasing fuel and construction costs and supply chain disruptions for the moves.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa will become the first U.S. state to require that gas stations have pumps selling fuel with at least 15% ethanol. Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed the bill that received final legislative approval Tuesday, and when she signs it into law, the measure will boost corn growers and the ethanol industry. Ethanol production consumes roughly half the state’s corn crop, and Iowa leads the nation in corn and ethanol production. Most gas sold in nationwide is blended with 10% ethanol. The bill includes exemptions for gas stations selling less than 300,000 gallons of fuel a year, and stations with old storage tanks can get waivers.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A jury has convicted two men of murder for shooting three Iowa teenagers at point-blank range while stealing their video game console and cellphones. The Des Moines Register reports that 23-year-old Daishawn Gills was found guilty Monday of first-degree murder and robbery counts, while 21-year-old Emmanuel Totaye Jr. was found guilty of second-degree murder and robbery counts. A third man, 18-year-old Leontreal Jones, is expected to plead guilty Thursday to two robbery charges in a deal with prosecutors in which he testified against Gills and Totaye, saying they carried out the January 2020 shooting deaths of 19-year-old DeVonte Swanks and his brother, 16-year-old Malachi Swanks, as well as the brothers’ friend, 15-year-old Thayne Wright.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – A Pleasant Valley man has been acquitted of two felony manslaughter counts but convicted of two lesser misdemeanor counts for his role in a 2020 boat crash that killed two people. The Quad-City Times reports that a jury found 45-year-old James Theil Sr. guilty Monday of two aggravated misdemeanor charges of involuntary manslaughter counts, but acquitted him of two felony manslaughter counts. Prosecutors say Thiel owned and was aboard the 35-foot center-console boat that crashed into a ski boat, killing 52-year-old Anita Pinc and her fianc, 61-year-old Craig Verbeke, both of Moline, Illinois. Investigators say a 15-year-old was driving Thiel’s boat at the time.
GREELEY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified a young girl killed in an eastern Iowa house fire over the weekend. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office tells television station KCRG that 9-year-old Brooklyn Lendt died in the Greeley fire. Firefighters were called to the house just after 3:30 a.m. Saturday, and the caller said there was a child inside the home. Crews later found the body of the girl in the charred remains of the house. Officials believe an electrical issue is the likely cause of the fire. Greeley is located about 60 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids.
